schneider



E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT 0N RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRING FROM THERAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5.191]- Pa-tented Dec. 30, 1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET I.

m m m I I .1 m o h fie 0?. 3 Q Wy a e a I N8 Q w H \N RAJ m O AH: NR

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT ON RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRING FROM THERAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1917- 1,32fifi88 Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

6 SHEET$-SHEET 2.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT 0N RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRING FROM THERAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. li- 1,326,788. Patented Dec. 30,1919.

6 $HEETSSHEET 3.

II II II H lL II E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT 0N RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRING FROM THERAILWAY.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT. 6.1917.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET 4.

YII

E. SCHNEIDER. GU N CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT 0N RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRINGFROM THE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. I917.

1 ,3Q6,78. Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORT 0N RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR FIRING FROM THERAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. I917.

Patented Dec. 30,1919. I

6 SHEETSSHEET 6.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF LE CREUZO'I, FRANCE, ASSIGN OR TO SCHNEIDER &0113., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

- Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed September 6, 1917. Serial No. 189,947.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the French Republic,and a resident of Le Creuzot, Sane-et-Loire, France, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Gun-Carriages for Transport on Railway-Trucksfor Firing from the Ra11- way, which invention is fully set forth in thefollowing specification.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved gun carriage fortransport on trucks for firing from the railway.

This invention is characterized more particularly by devices which allowof diminishing the effects of the recoil due to the firing of the gun,by transferring to the railway a considerable portion of the effects dueto the firing. To this end this invention comprises special means fortransferrlng such effects and also a corresponding special arrangementof the railway at the firing place, and also means for eflecting a rapidrunning out again of the gun into the firing position.

The devices for transmitting the effects of the firing consistessentially of a series of movable members permanently mounted on thegun carriage and adapted to be brought into and out of contact with therailway by a rapid and simple operation, said members being constructedin such a manner as to allow of the gun carriage, while being supportedby the track, sliding along the track in consequence of the recoil. Inpractice, and in accordance with the invention, the firing of the gun,together with the use of the said members, takes place on arailwayprepared for this purpose, and comprising, on either side, track railsof standard gage and auxiliary supporting beams super-elevatedinrelation to the rails. This track, prepared in this manner, preferablyforms a branch connected to the ordinary track, and its length andcurvature are such as to allow of directing the fire of the gun from anydesired point of the said track without the necessity of providing thegun with the usual training mechanism.

Several embodiments of this invention are illustrated by way of examplein the accompanying drawlngs wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic generalview in longitudinal elevation of a gun carriage supported on railwaytrucks adapted for fir- I from the railway in accordance with thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding diagrammatic plan showing the gun carriagelocated for firing on a track prepared for the purpose, g'consisting ofa branch connected to the ordinary railway which has served to bring thegun carriage to the spot. 1

F 1gs. 3, l and 5 illustrate on a larger scale the details of the partsfor supporting the, gun carriage while allowing it to slide along thefiring track. In these figures 3 is an end elevation of the gun carriagepartly in vertical cross section in a plane passing through the axes oftwo connected supporting members, said members being shown raised inposition for transport or for running the carriage out again into thefiring position.

Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the supporting members intheir operative position for firing the gun.

Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal vertical section of the gun carriage onthe line VV of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a side elevation and a vertical crosssection on the line VIIVII of Fig. 6 of a particular constructionalexample of one of the supporting trucks of the gun carriage in the formof a motor truck for running the gun out again into the firing position.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate another constructional example of a tractormechanism for running the gun out again into the firing position. Inthese figures Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section on the lineVIIIVIII of Fig. 9.

' Fig. 9 is a vertical cross section on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal vertical section similar to Fig. 8, showingthe parts of the tractor mechanism in position for transport.

Fig. 11 is ajdiagrammatic side elevation partly in vertical section of aspecial constructional form of a gun carriage according to thisinvention.

The improved gun carriage may comprise in the known manner, as showndiagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 2, a girder-like structure A resting ateach end on a truck" B, C' by means of a pivot b, c. This girderlike guncarriage A carries permanently connected to it, in accordance with thepresentinvention, a series of movablemembers capable of being broughtinto andout of contact with therail track, or preferably as regardspractical working, into and out of 'on which the truck wheels run,special tracks or beams D (Figs. 2 to 5) which form slide fectsynchronism between theworkings of the two screw-jacks connectedtogether by the cross iece E. Further, the said joints allow of tiilnclined position relatively to the gun c arriage A, this inclinationbeing sometimes necessary owing to the difference in level between thebeams D;

In firing, the un as a whole recoils and slides along the ams D whichtransmit to the track ties the strains transmitted to them by the crosspieces E.

The running out again of the gun into ways for the aforesaid supportingmembers firing position is produced, after having first when these arebrought into contact with it.

In the practical examples shown n the drawings, each of the raisablesupporting members consists of a hydraullcally or otherwise actuatedscrew-jack, one of whose elements, the screw or the nut for instance, isfixed on the girder-like gun carriage, while the other element of thescrew-jack may be moved vertically by the usual mechanism whoseessential elements are likewise carried permanently by the glrderlikecarriage.

The raisable elements of the screwacks are preferably, as shown indetail in Figs.

3, a and 5, connected together by cross pieces E that constitute thesupporting members proper.

In such a case each screw-jack comprises a bed-plate F by means of whichit isfiXed to its supporting cross piece Tl'llS attachment instead ofbeing rigid 1s preferably efi'ected by means of a spherical joint f-gbetween the bed-plate F and a sleeve nut G. The sleeve G is guidedvertically, by means of a groove 9 and tenon h, in a screwjack body Hfixed on the gun carriage A. The screw I, which can turn withoutlongitudinal motion in the body I-Iby means of the journal 2', isadapted to be actuated by the usual means (pinions K, L, andhand crankshaft M), andaccording to the sense of its actuation it causes thesleeve nut G to ascend or descend.

The supporting members E are guided transversely with a suitable amountof play between the rojections a formed under the girder, and tlius theyassure that the girder is carried along in the recoil.

For transport, the raisable members are brought into the position shownin Fig. 3 'l/Vhen the gun carriage has been brought on the branch V tothe desired point for firing in a determined direction, for instanceinto the position 1 shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the supportingmembers are moved so as to brin them into contact with the beams D(Figs. 1, 4 and 5). Owing to the interposition of the spherical jointfg, completed by a knob F fixed to the bed plate F and guided in a slotin the sleeve G, it is not absolutely necessary that there should beperraised all the supporting members, by mov- 1ng thegun in the reversedirection. This point, or preferably by the use of a 'motor truck forone of the two supports B, C of the carria e A.

'In t e example shown in Fig. 1, it is assumed that the front truck B isprovided with a motor 0 driving the two front axles b of the said truck4 In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the purchase on thewheel-engaging track for running the gun out again into firing position,in'stead of being produced by means of the wheels of the axles b of thetruck B,

e members E taking up a certainis assumed to be produced by means ofroll- In the embodiment shown in Figs. 8, 9 and I 10, the purchase isobtained on an auxiliary track, such as a rack S with which engages apinion T fixed onan axle t that is kept normally raised by any suitablemeans. On the axle of this inion there is fixed one of the elements ofgearing U -U U which is actuated by hand or by a motor such as 0 (Fig.1).

By means of any one of the motive mechavnisms hereinbefore described, itis possible not only tov run out again into .the firing position the gunwhich has .slid back by its recoil along the branch V but also to changethe direction of the firing at will by moving the gun along the saidbranch for instance to the. points indicated at 2 or 3 in front of or atthe rear of the point 1.

Fig. 11 illustrates a gun carriage for a gunjof very large caliberembodying the improvements of the present invention. This improved guncarriage is characterized by the feature that the raisablesupportingelements E are located ona girder-like structure A forming the supportproper,and on two auxiliary girder-like structures A each supportin themain girder-like structure through t e medium of a pivot al Theseauxiliary girder-like structures are in turn supported each by twovertical pivots respectivcly on. two front trucks B and two rear trucksC.

This invention also comprises for use, in combination with the'slidingparts hereinbefore described, a transferring truck such as showndiagrammatically in Fig. 1, which is designed for transporting munitionsfrom a suitably distant station up to a point underneath the usual fixedtransferring apparatus W which is permanently mounted on the guncarriage.

Thistransferring truck is characterized more particularly by the featurethat it comprises at each end of the body X, a beak-like portion X and Xrespectively, adapted to fold down on hinges 00 m respectlvely. Thesefront and rear beak-like portions carry rolling track elements for acarriage Y intended to .remain permanently on the truck X. v

The hinged or jointed beak-like portions allow, as will be readilyunderstood, of the formation of a rolling track of considerable lengthfor one and the same vehicle, while the1r property of folding allows ofreducing the length of the said vehicle to standard proportions fortransport.

What I claim is:

1. A railroad gun carriage provided with trucks for running on arailroad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom,and a plurality of track-engaging members movably mounted on saidcarriage and movable into position to transmlt forces of the gun recoilto a track by slidln contact therewith and to relieve the true wheelsand axles of said forces.

2. A railroad gun carriage provided with trucks for running on arailroad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefromnally of the railroad track, and a plurality of members movably mountedon said carriage and movable into engagement with said slideways totransmit forces of the gun recoil to said slideways by sliding contacttherewith and to relieve the truck wheels and axles of said forces.

3. A railroad gun carriage provided with trucks for runnlng on arailroad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom, atrack-engaging member movably mounted on said carriage, and means formoving said member into and out of engagement with a track to transmitforces of the gun recoil to said track by sliding contact therewith andto reliei e the truck wheels and axles of said forces.

4. A railroad gun carriage provided with trucks for running on arailroad track, a gun slideways extending longitudi-- mountedon saidcarriage to be fired therefrom, jacks on'opposite sides of saidcarriage, and a transverse movable cross'piece connecting opposed jacksand movable thereby into and outof engagement with a track to transmitforces of'the gun recoil to said track by sliding contact therewith andto relieve the truck wheels and axles of said forces;

5. A railroad gun carriage provided with trucks for running on arailroad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom,jacks on opposite sides of said carriage, a movable cross piececonnecting opposed jacks and movable thereby into and out of engagementwith a track to transmit forces of the gun recoil to said track bysliding contact therewith and to relieve the truck wheels and axles ofsaid forces, and spherical joints between each said jack and its crosspiece.

6. A railroad gun carriage provided 'Wlth trucks for running on arailroad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom,movable track-engaging members mounted on said carriage and extendingtransversely of the track, means for moving said members into and out ofengagement with a track to transmit forces of the gun recoil to saidtrack by sliding contact therewith and to relieve the truck wheels andaxles of said forces, and guides on the carriage within 'which saidmembers move and through whlch movement of said carriage is transmittedto said members.

7. A railroad gun carriage rovided with trucks for running on a railf'oad track, a gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom,movable track-engaging members mounted on said carriage, means formoving said members into and out of engagement with a track to transmitforces of the gun recoil to said track by sliding contact therewith and.to' relieve the truck wheels and axles of said forces, and means on oneof said trucks for running the carriage into firin position.

8. A railroa gun carriage provided with 'trucks for running on arailroad track, a

gun mounted on said carriage to be fired therefrom, movabletrack-engaging members mounted on said carria e, means for moving saidmembers into an out of engagement with a track .to transmit forces ofthe gun recoil to said track by sliding contact.

therewith and to relieve the truck. wheels and axles of said forces,motive means on one of said trucks, and tractivemeans operated therebyand movable into and out of tures interposed between said carriage andsaid trucks, movable track-engaging members mounted on said carriage andsaid supporting structures, and means for moving said members into andout of engagement with a track to transmit forces of the gun recoil tosaid track by sliding contact therewith and to relieve the truck wheelsand axles of said forces.

10. In a railroad gun carriage for a large caliber gun firing from therailroad track, the combination with the gun carriage proper, of aplurality of trucks for supporting the same, of which one is constructedas a tractor for bringing the gun carriage into the trained position ofthe gun, and for run: ning out the gun again into firing position tlonafter recoll, a combined recoil and propelling device carried by saidtractor, and means for pressing said device against the railroad trackfor the purpose of distributing strains thereto during the firing ofthegun and afterward for assisting in starting the carriage on itstracks.

In testimony whereof I have signed this speclficatlon.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

